U.S. patent application number 12/392508 was filed with the patent office on 2010-08-26 for methods and systems for replicating provisioning servers in a software provisioning environment.
Invention is credited to Michael Paul Dehaan, Scott Jared Henson.
Application Number | 20100217840 12/392508 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42631851 |
Filed Date | 2010-08-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100217840 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dehaan; Michael Paul ; et
al. |
August 26, 2010 |
METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR REPLICATING PROVISIONING SERVERS IN A
SOFTWARE PROVISIONING ENVIRONMENT
Abstract
A software provisioning environment can include several
provisioning servers for providing software provisioning to one or
more target machines. In the environment, one of the provisioning
servers can initiate a replication action. The replication action
can transfer and apply the metadata from one provisioning server to
another provisioning server. Additionally, the replication action
can transfer and apply portions of an inventory of provisioning
objects from one provisioning server to another provisioning
server. During the replication action, the provisioning server can
utilize the interfaces and protocols of standard provisioning
processes to transfer the metadata and portions of the
inventory.
Inventors: |
Dehaan; Michael Paul;
(Morrisville, NC) ; Henson; Scott Jared; (Raleigh,
NC) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MH2 TECHNOLOGY LAW GROUP (Cust. No. w/Red Hat)
1951 KIDWELL DRIVE, SUITE 550
TYSONS CORNER
VA
22182
US
|
Family ID: |
42631851 |
Appl. No.: |
12/392508 |
Filed: |
February 25, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
709/220 ;
717/171 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 8/60 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
709/220 ;
717/171 |
International
Class: |
G06F 15/177 20060101
G06F015/177; G06F 9/44 20060101 G06F009/44 |
Claims
1. A method of managing a software provisioning environment,
comprising: initiating an action to replicate a provisioning
server; receiving metadata, from the provisioning server, in at
least one other provisioning server, wherein the metadata defines a
configuration of the provisioning server; and applying the metadata
to the at least one other provisioning server to replicate the
provisioning server.
2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising: receiving,
at the at least one other provisioning server, at least one of a
portion of a set of software distributions, a portion of a set of
provisioning profiles, and a portion of a set of provisioning
templates.
3. The method of claim 2, the method further comprising: selecting,
at the provisioning server, the at least one of the portion of the
set of software distributions, the portion of the set of
provisioning profiles, and the portion of the set of provisioning
templates.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the action to
replicate the provisioning server comprises: transmitting a request
to replicate the provisioning server from the at least one other
provisioning server to the provisioning server.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the action to
replicate the provisioning server comprises: selecting the at least
one other provisioning server; and initiating the action to
replicate at the provisioning server.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the action to
replicate the provisioning server comprises: detecting, at the
provisioning server, a change in the metadata; and initiating the
action to replicate based on the detected change in the
metadata.
7. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising: checking
the applied metadata for errors.
8. A system for managing a software provisioning environment,
comprising: a network interface to a network comprising a set of
provisioning servers; and a provisioning server in the set of
provisioning servers, communicating with the network interface, the
provisioning server being configured to initiate an action to
replicate at least one other provisioning server in the set of
provisioning servers; receive metadata, from the at least one other
provisioning server, wherein the metadata defines a configuration
of the at least one other provisioning server; and apply the
metadata to replicate the at least one other provisioning
server.
9. The system of claim 8, the provisioning server being further
configured to receive, from the at least one other provisioning
server, at least one of a portion of a set of software
distributions, a portion of a set of provisioning profiles, and a
portion of a set of provisioning templates.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one other
provisioning server selects the at least one of the portion of the
set of software distributions, the portion of the set of
provisioning profiles, and the portion of the set of provisioning
templates.
11. The system of claim 8, wherein initiating the action to
replicate the at least one other provisioning server comprises:
transmitting a request to replicate to the at least one other
provisioning server.
12. The system of claim 8, wherein initiating the action to
replicate is initiated by the at least one other provisioning
server.
13. The system of claim 8, wherein initiating the action to
replicate comprises detecting, at the at least one other
provisioning server, a change in the metadata.
14. The system of claim 8, the provisioning server being further
configured to check the applied metadata for errors.
15. A provisioning application, the provisioning application being
embodied in a computer readable storage medium and comprising
instructions for causing a processor to perform a method
comprising: initiating an action to replicate a provisioning
server; receiving metadata, from the provisioning server, in the
provisioning application, wherein the metadata defines a
configuration of the provisioning server; and applying the metadata
to the provisioning application to replicate the provisioning
server.
16. The provisioning application of claim 15, the method further
comprising: receiving, at the provisioning application, at least
one of a portion of a set of software distributions, a portion of a
set of provisioning profiles, and a portion of a set of
provisioning templates.
17. The provisioning application of claim 16, the method further
comprising: selecting, at the provisioning server, the at least one
of the portion of the set of software distributions, the portion of
the set of provisioning profiles, and the portion of the set of
provisioning templates.
18. The provisioning application of claim 15, wherein initiating
the action to replicate the provisioning server comprises:
transmitting a request to replicate the provisioning server from
the provisioning application to the provisioning server.
19. The provisioning application of claim 15, wherein initiating
the action to replicate the provisioning server comprises:
selecting the provisioning application; and initiating the action
to replicate at the provisioning server.
20. The provisioning application of claim 15, wherein initiating
the action to replicate the provisioning server comprises:
detecting, at the provisioning server, a change in the metadata,
and initiating the action to replicate based on the detected change
in the metadata.
21. The provisioning application of claim 15, the method further
comprising: checking the applied metadata for errors.
Description
FIELD
[0001] This invention relates generally to software
provisioning.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
[0002] Software provisioning is the process of selecting a target
machine, such as a server, loading the appropriate software
(operating system, device drivers, middleware, and applications),
and customizing and configuring the system and the software to make
it ready for operation. Software provisioning can entail a variety
of tasks, such as creating or changing a boot image, specifying
parameters, e.g. IP address, IP gateway, to find associated network
and storage resources, and then starting the machine and its
newly-loaded software. Typically, a system administrator will
perform these tasks using various tools because of the complexity
of these tasks. Unfortunately, there is a lack of provisioning
control tools that can adequately integrate and automate these
tasks.
[0003] Often, large entities, such as corporations, businesses, and
universities, maintain large networks that include numerous systems
spread over a wide geographic area. In order to provision software
to the dispersed systems, the entities will maintain multiple
installer servers located at different locations to support
software provisioning. However, as changes are made to the
dispersed installer servers, inconsistency between the dispersed
installer servers may arise. As such, the dispersed installer
server may perform provisioning actions differently than other
installer servers in the same network. Moreover, in the event an
installer server fails, the administrator of the network must
re-install and reconfigure the failed installer server.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] Various features of the embodiments can be more fully
appreciated, as the same become better understood with reference to
the following detailed description of the embodiments when
considered in connection with the accompanying figures, in
which:
[0005] FIG. 1 illustrates an overall provisioning environment in
which various embodiments of the present teachings can be
practiced;
[0006] FIG. 2 illustrates the overall provisioning environment in
which provisioning servers can be replicated, according to various
embodiments;
[0007] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary hardware configuration for
supporting a provisioning server, according to various embodiments;
and
[0008] FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart for replicating provisioning
servers, according to various embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0009] For simplicity and illustrative purposes, the principles of
the present invention are described by referring mainly to
exemplary embodiments thereof. However, one of ordinary skill in
the art would readily recognize that the same principles are
equally applicable to, and can be implemented in, all types of
information and systems, and that any such variations do not depart
from the true spirit and scope of the present invention. Moreover,
in the following detailed description, references are made to the
accompanying figures, which illustrate specific embodiments.
Electrical, mechanical, logical and structural changes may be made
to the embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of
the present invention. The following detailed description is,
therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense and the scope of the
present invention is defined by the appended, claims and their
equivalents.
[0010] Embodiments of the present teachings relate to systems and
methods for replicating provisioning servers in a software
provisioning environment. More particularly, a provisioning server
can replicate the configuration of another provisioning server in
the provisioning environment in order to maintain consistency in
the environment.
[0011] In embodiments, a software provisioning environment can
include several provisioning servers for providing software
provisioning to one or more target machines. In the environment,
one of the provisioning servers can be configured to initiate a
replication action. The replication action can be configured to
transfer and apply the metadata from one provisioning server to
another provisioning server. Additionally, the replication action
can be configured to transfer and apply portions of an inventory of
provisioning objects from one provisioning server to another
provisioning server. During the replication action, the
provisioning server can be configured to utilize the interfaces and
protocols of standard provisioning processes to transfer the
metadata and portions of the inventory.
[0012] In embodiments, one provisioning server can be designated as
the central provisioning server in the provisioning environment.
The central provisioning server or other provisioning server can be
configured to utilize the replication action to replicate the
central provisioning server. For example, the central provisioning
server can be replicated in order to expedite the addition of new
provisioning servers, maintain consistency between provisioning
servers in the environment, to propagate updates from the central
provisioning server to the other provisioning servers, to maintain
backup copies of the central provisioning server, and to add
additional provisioning servers to increase capacity and support
load-balancing.
[0013] By providing replication actions in the provisioning
environment, consistency can be maintained throughout the
provisioning environment by harmonizing the configuration and
settings of the different provisioning servers. As such,
installation of new provisioning servers can be simplified, updates
can be easily propagated in the environment, multiple copies of the
provisioning servers can be maintained for failure recovery,
capacity for provisioning processes can be increased by the
addition of provisioning servers, and load-balancing can be
enhanced through the addition of provisioning servers.
[0014] FIG. 1 illustrates an overall provisioning environment 100,
in systems and methods for the execution, management, and
monitoring of software provisioning, according to exemplary aspects
of the present disclosure. Embodiments described herein can be
implemented in or supported by the exemplary environment
illustrated in FIG. 1. The provisioning environment 100 provides a
unified provisioning environment, which comprehensively manages the
tasks related to software provisioning.
[0015] In particular, the provisioning environment 100 can manage
software provisioning using a hierarchy of commands. In exemplary
embodiments, the hierarchy can include at least four levels of
commands. The lowest level in the hierarchy can comprise
distribution commands, which primarily handle base operating system
specific tasks of provisioning. The second level can comprise
profile commands, which associate a configuration file, such as a
kickstart file for Linux or other operating system, with a
distribution and optionally allow for customization. The third
level comprises system commands, which associate remote systems
that are involved with the provisioning of the software. The fourth
level comprises repository commands, which address configurations
and tasks related to updating the software, remote installation
procedures, and optionally customizing the software.
[0016] The provisioning environment 100 provides several
capabilities and advantages over the known provisioning solutions.
For example, the present invention is capable of handling a variety
of forms of installations, such as preboot execution environment
("PXE"), virtualization, re-installations, and image
installations.
[0017] In exemplary aspects, the provisioning environment 100
enables integrating virtualization into a PXE provisioning
infrastructure and provides several options to reinstall running
machines as well. The provisioning environment 100 can integrate
mirroring of package repositories with the provisioning process, so
that a provisioning server may serve as a central mirror point of
contact for all of an organization's software needs. In aspects, a
set of remote mirrored repositories can automatically be used by
provisioned systems without additional setup.
[0018] Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary
aspects the provisioning environment 100. The provisioning
environment 100 can be applied to provisioning any form of
software, such as Windows systems, UNIX systems, and Linux systems.
In the exemplary description that follows, FIG. 1 is presented to
explain the provisioning environment 100 for provisioning software,
such as Linux, and Linux based software, such as Fedora and Red Hat
Enterprise Linux by Red Hat, Inc.
[0019] In provisioning of software such as Linux, many system
administrators use what is known as the "kickstart" installation
method. Kickstart files are files that specify the intended
configuration of the software being provisioned. Kickstart files
can be kept on a server and can be read by individual computers
during the installation. This installation method allows the use of
a single or relatively few standard kickstart files to install
Linux on multiple machines, making it ideal for network and system
administrators.
[0020] The kickstart file can be a simple text file, containing a
list of items, each identified by a keyword. In general, a
kickstart file can be edited with any text editor or word processor
that can save files as ASCII text. One skilled in the art will
recognize that the present invention may be applied to
non-kickstart files in software provisioning. For example,
configuration files such as AutoYAST Answer files used in Novell
SuSe Linux and Sun Solaris Jumpstart files may also be used by the
provisioning environment 100.
[0021] Typically, a kickstart file can be copied to the boot disk,
or made available on the network. The network-based approach is
most commonly used, as most kickstart installations for software
provisioning, such as Linux systems, tend to be performed via a
network using NFS, FTP, or HTTP on networked computers.
Administrators also find it desirable that kickstart installations
can be performed using a local CD-ROM, or a local hard drive.
[0022] Using kickstart files, a system administrator can create a
single file containing the parameters that are needed to complete a
typical software installation. For example, kickstart files specify
parameters related to: language selection; mouse configuration;
keyboard selection; boot loader installation; disk partitioning;
network configuration; NIS, LDAP, Kerberos, Hesiod, and Samba
authentication; firewall configuration; and package selection.
[0023] According to exemplary aspects illustrated in FIG. 1, the
provisioning environment 100 can include a provisioning server 102,
a code repository 104 which provides access to distributions 106
and 108, a set of installation templates 110, a set of exception
plugins 112, a helper client 114 running on target machines 116 in
a network 115, a provisioning database 120 which comprises a
distribution tree list 122 and template list 124. Each of these
components will now be further described.
[0024] The provisioning server (from herein referred to as a
"cobbler") 102 is responsible for: serving as an extensible markup
language remote procedure call (XMLRPC) handler; linking to or
mirroring install distribution trees and a configuration database;
hosting kickstart templates; hosting plugins; generating
installation images, and the like. The cobbler server 102 can be
implemented as software, such as Python code, installed on a boot
server machine and provide a command line interface for
configuration of the boot server. In addition, the cobbler server
102 can make itself available as a Python application programming
interface (API) for use by higher level management software (not
shown). The cobbler server 102 supports provisioning via PXL, image
(ISO) installation, virtualization, re-provisioning. As will be
described later, the last two modes are performed with the
assistance of a helper client 114.
[0025] The code repository 104 is responsible for hosting
distributions 106 and 108. The code repository 104 can be
implemented using well known components of hardware and software.
Additionally, the code repository 104 can include one or more
repositories hosting distributions. The distributions 106 and 108
can include bundles of software that are already compiled and
configured. The distributions 106 and 108 may be in the form of
either rpm, deb, tgz, msi, exe formats, and the like. For example,
as Linux distributions, the distributions 106 and 108 are bundles
of software that comprise the Linux kernel, the non-kernel parts of
the operating system, and assorted other software. The
distributions 106 and 108 can take a variety of forms, from
fully-featured desktop and server operating systems to minimal
environments.
[0026] In exemplary aspects, the installation templates 110 are any
data structure or processing element that can be combined with a
set of installation configurations and processed to produce a
resulting configuration file, such as a kickstart file.
[0027] In exemplary aspects, exception plugins 112 are software
that interact with cobbler server 102 to customize the provisioning
of software. In general, the exception plugins 112 are intended to
address infrequent customization needs.
[0028] In exemplar aspects, the helper client (known as "koan",
which stands for "kickstart-over-a-network") 114 can assist the
cobbler server 102 during the provisioning processes. The koan 114
can allow for both network provisioning of new virtualized guests
and destructive provisioning of any existing system. When invoked,
the koan 114 can request profile information from a remote boot
server that has been configured with the cobbler server 102. In
some aspects, what the koan 114 does with the profile data depends
on whether it was invoked with--virt or--replace-self.
[0029] In exemplary aspects, the koan 114 can enable replacing
running systems as well as installing virtualized profiles. The
koan 114 can also be pushed out to systems automatically from the
boot server. In some aspects, the koan client 114 is also written
in Python code to accommodate a variety of operating systems,
machine architectures, etc.
[0030] In exemplary aspects, the network 115 can include a number
of the target machines 116. The target machines 116 can represent
the particular machines to which software provisioning is directed.
The target machines 116 can represent a wide variety of computing
devices, such as personal computers, servers, laptop computers,
personal mobile devices, and the like. In some aspects, the target
machines 116 can represent distributed computing environments such
as cloud computing environments. Although FIG. 1 shows several of
the target machines 116, the provisioning environment 100 can be
capable of managing a wide range environments, such as datacenters
with thousands of machines or server pools with just a few
machines. Additionally, the cobbler server 102 can be connected to
multiple networks 115.
[0031] In exemplary aspects, the provisioning database 120 can
serve as a data storage location for holding data used by the
cobbler server 102. For example, as shown, the provisioning
database 120 can comprise the distribution tree list 122 and the
template list 124. The distribution tree list 122 can provide an
inventory of the distributions 106 and 108 that are hosted or
mirrored by the cobbler server 102. The template list 124 can
provide an inventory of the templates 110 that are hosted by the
cobbler server 102.
[0032] As noted above, the cobbler server 102 can manage
provisioning using a hierarchical concept of distribution commands,
profile commands, system commands, and repository commands. This
framework enables the cobbler server 102 to abstract the
differences between multiple provisioning types (installation,
reinstallation, and virtualization) and allows installation of all
three from a common platform. This hierarchy of commands also
permits the cobbler server 102 to integrate software repositories
126 with the provisioning process, thus allowing systems to be
configured as a mirror for software updates and third party content
as well as distribution content.
[0033] Distributions can contain information about base operating
system tasks, such as what kernel and initial ramdisk ("initrd")
are used in the provisioning, along with other information, such as
required kernel parameters. Profiles associate one of the
distributions 106 and 108 with a kickstart file and optionally
customize it further, for example, using plugins 112. System
commands associate a hostname, IP, or (machine access control) MAC
with a distribution and optionally customize the profile further.
Repositories contain update information, such as yum mirror
information that the cobbler server 102 uses to mirror repository
104. The cobbler server 102 can also manage (generate) dynamic host
configuration protocol (DHCP) configuration files using the
templates 110.
[0034] In exemplary aspects, the cobbler server 102 can use a
provisioning environment that is fully templated, allowing for
kickstarts and PXE files to be customized by the user. The cobbler
server 102 uses the concept of "profiles" as an intermediate step
between the operating system and the installed system. A profile is
a description of what a system does rather than the software to be
installed. For instance, a profile might describe a virtual web
server with X amount of RAM, Y amounts of disk space, running a
Linux distribution Z, and with an answer file W.
[0035] In exemplary aspects, the cobbler server 102 can provide a
command line interface to configure a boot server in which it is
installed. For example, the format of the cobbler server 102
commands can be generally in the format of: cobbler command
[subcommand] [--arg1=] [--arg2=]. Thus, a user can specify various
aspects of software provisioning via a single interface, such as a
command line interface or other known interface. Examples of
exemplary cobbler commands can be found in U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 11/763,315, U.S. Patent Application Publication No.
2008-0288938 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/763,333, U.S.
Patent Publication No. 2008-0288939, all assigned to Red Hat
Corporation, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein, in
their entirety, by reference.
[0036] According to exemplary aspects, a user can use various
commands of the provisioning environment 100 to specify
distributions and install trees hosted by the code repository 104,
such as a distribution from the distributions 106 or 108. A user
can add or import a distribution or import it from installation
media or an external network location.
[0037] According to exemplary aspects, in order to import a
distribution, the cobbler server 102 can auto-add distributions and
profiles from remote sources, whether this is an installation media
(such as a DVD), an NFS path, or an rsync mirror. When importing an
rsync mirror, the cobbler server 102 can try to detect the
distribution type and automatically assign kickstarts. By default
in some embodiments, the cobbler server can provision by erasing
the hard drive, setting up eth0 for DHCP, and using a default
password. If this is undesirable, an administrator may edit the
kickstart files in /etc/cobbler to do something else or change the
kickstart setting after the cobbler server 102 creates the
profile.
[0038] According to exemplary aspects, a user may map profiles to
the distributions and map systems to the profiles using profile
commands and systems commands of the provisioning environment 100.
A profile associates a distribution to additional specialized
options, such as a kickstart automation file. In the cobbler server
102, profiles are the unit of provisioning and at least one profile
exists for every distribution to be provisioned. A profile might
represent, for instance, a web server or desktop configuration.
[0039] According to exemplary aspects, a user can map systems to
profiles using system commands. System commands can assign a piece
of hardware with cobbler server 102 to a profile. Systems can be
defined by hostname, Internet Protocol (IP) address, or machine
access control (MAC) address. When available, use of the MAC
address to assign systems can be preferred.
[0040] According to exemplary aspects, the user can map
repositories and profiles using repository commands. Repository
commands can address configurations and tasks related to updating
the software, remote installation procedures, and optionally
customizing the software. These repository commands can also
specify mirroring of the provisioned software to remote servers.
Repository mirroring can allow the cobbler server 102 to mirror not
only the trees 106 and 108, but also optional packages, third party
content, and updates. Mirroring can be useful for faster, more
up-to-date installations and faster updates, or providing software
on restricted networks. The cobbler server 102 can also include
other administrative features, such as allowing the user to view
their provisioning configuration or information tracking the status
of a requested software installation.
[0041] According to exemplary aspects, a user can utilize commands
to create a provisioning infrastructure from a distribution mirror.
Then a default PXE configuration is created, so that by default,
systems will PXE boot into a fully automated install process for
that distribution. The distribution mirror can be a network rsync
mirror or a mounted DVD location.
[0042] According to exemplary aspects, the administrator uses a
local kernel and initrd file (already downloaded), and shows how
profiles would be created using two different kickstarts--one for a
web server configuration and one for a database server. Then, a
machine can be assigned to each profile.
[0043] According to exemplary aspects, a repo mirror can be set up
for two repositories, and create a profile that will auto install
those repository configurations on provisioned systems using that
profile.
[0044] According to exemplary aspects, in addition to normal
provisioning, the cobbler server 102 can support yet another
option, called "enchant". Enchant takes a configuration that has
already been defined and applies it to a remote system that might
not have the remote helper program installed. Users can use this
command to replace a server that is being repurposed, or when no
PXE environment can be created. Thus, the enchant option allows the
remote the koan client 114 to be executed remotely from the cobbler
server 102.
[0045] According to aspects, if the cobbler server 102 is
configured to mirror certain repositories, the cobbler server 102
can then be used to associate profiles with those repositories.
Systems installed under those profiles can be auto configured to
use these repository mirrors in commands and, if supported, these
repositories can be leveraged. This can be useful for a large
install base, when fast installation and upgrades for systems are
desired, or software not in a standard repository exists and
provisioned systems desire to know about that repository.
[0046] According to exemplary aspects, the cobbler server 102 can
also keep track of the status of kickstarting machines. For
example, the "cobbler status" will show when the cobbler server 102
thinks a machine started kickstarting and when it last requested a
file. This can be a desirable way to track machines that may have
gone inactive during kickstarts. The cobbler server 102 can also
make a special request in the post section of the kickstart to
signal when a machine is finished kickstarting.
[0047] According to exemplary aspects, for certain commands, the
cobbler server 102 will create new virtualized guests on a machine
in accordance with orders from the cobbler server 102. Once
finished, an administrator can use additional commands on the guest
or other operations. The cobbler server 102 can automatically name
domains based on their MAC addresses. For re-kickstarting, the
cobbler server 102 can reprovision the system, deleting any current
data and replacing it with the results of a network install.
[0048] According to exemplary aspects, the cobbler server 102 can
configure boot methods for the provisioning requested by the user.
For example, the cobbler server 102 can configure a PXE
environment, such as a network card BIOS. Alternatively, the
cobbler server 102 can compile and configure information for koan
client 104. The cobbler server 102 can also optionally configure
DHCP and DNS configuration information.
[0049] According to exemplary aspects, the cobbler server 102 can
serve the request of the koan client 114. The koan client 114 can
acknowledge the service of information of the cobbler server 102
and can then initiate installation of the software being
provisioned. Additionally, the koan client 114 can either install
the requested software, e.g., replace the existing operating
system, or install a virtual machine.
[0050] FIG. 2 illustrates aspects of the provisioning environment
100 that allows for replication of provisioning servers, according
to various embodiments. In embodiments, as shown, the provisioning
environment 100 can include a number of cobbler servers 202, 204,
206, and 208 for providing software provisioning to target
machines, such as target machines 210, 212, 214, 216, and 218.
While FIG. 2 illustrates several cobbler servers located in several
networks 220, 222, and 224, provisioning environment 100 can
include any number of cobbler server located in any number of
networks.
[0051] In embodiments, one of the cobbler servers 202, 204, 206,
and 208 can be configured to be a central or "master" provisioning
server. For example, the cobbler server 202 can be selected as the
central or "master" provisioning server. The central cobbler server
202 can be configured to maintain a complete inventory of
provisioning objects for the software provisioning environment 100.
Likewise, the cobbler server 202 can be configured to manage the
other cobbler servers 204, 206, and 208 in the provisioning
environment 100.
[0052] In embodiments, the provisioning objects can include all the
data required by a cobbler server to perform the software
provisioning processes, such as the process described above,
supported by the cobbler server. For example, the provisioning
objects can include software distributions; configuration templates
(templates for generating configuration files, such as kickstart
files); distribution profile information (mapping a distribution to
profile; a configuration template or a configuration file, and
additional preferences, such as kernel options, template variables,
or virtual machine settings); target machine information
(information representing the mapping of a physical piece of
hardware, plus hardware specific customizations, to a profile that
it should run); repos information (information representing
external or internal software repositories stored on the cobbler
server); images (such as distributions representing an undefined
executable image (like "memtest"); a virtual machine to be cloned,
or an ISO file for use in installing a virtual machine); and the
like.
[0053] In embodiments, the cobbler servers 202, 204, 206, and 208
can be located across one or more networks 220, 222, and 224 that
can be geographically dispersed. For example, the central cobbler
server 202, the one or more of the cobbler servers 204 and the
cobbler servers 206 and 208 can be located in separate local area
networks which may be connected by a wide area network. Likewise,
the cobbler servers 202, 204, 206, and 208 can be all located in a
local area network. While FIG. 2 illustrates the cobbler server 202
being configured as the central cobbler server 202, any of the
cobbler servers 202, 204, 206, and 208 can be configured as the
central cobbler server. For example, the cobbler servers 202, 204,
206, and 208 can be configured as the central cobbler server based
on its network location, geographic location, specifications of the
systems supporting the cobbler server, and the like.
[0054] In embodiments, in order to maintain consistency in the
provisioning environment 100, the cobbler servers 204, 206, 208 can
be configured to be duplicates of the central cobbler server 202.
As duplicates, the cobbler servers 204, 206, and 208 can be
configured to contain the same configurations and settings as the
central cobbler server 202. Additionally, the cobbler server 204,
206, and 208 can be configured to contain portions or all of the
inventory of provisioning objects for the software provisioning
environment 100 as maintained in the central cobbler server 202.
Likewise, as duplicates, updates and changes can be maintained
consistently throughout the provisioning environment 100.
[0055] In embodiments, in order to maintain to the consistency in
the provisioning environment 100, the central cobbler server 202 or
one or more of the cobbler servers 204, 206, and 208 can be
configured to initiate a replication action. In the replication
action, metadata from the central cobbler server 202 can be
transferred from the central cobbler server 202 to one or more of
the cobbler servers 204, 206, and 208 and applied to the cobbler
server 204, 206, and 208. The metadata from the central cobbler
server 202 can include the necessary information to configure a
cobbler server to be a duplicate of the central cobbler server
202.
[0056] In embodiments, additionally during the replication action,
portions or all of the inventory of provisioning objects can be
transferred to the one or more cobbler servers 204, 206, and 208.
By transferring a portion of the inventory of the provisioning
objects, the cobbler servers 204, 206, and 208 can be specifically
tailored to provide specific provisioning processes. By
transferring a complete inventory, one or more of the cobbler
servers 204, 206, and 208 can be configured to be complete copies
of the central cobbler server 202. As such, the provisioning
environment 100 can maintain more than one exact copy of the
central cobbler server 202 in the event errors or catastrophic
failure occurs at the central cobbler server 202. The amount of the
inventory of provisioning objects transferred can be determined by
the central cobbler server 202 or requested by one or more of the
cobbler servers 204, 206, and 208.
[0057] In embodiments, the central cobbler server 202 can also be
configured to replicate one of the cobbler servers 204, 206, or
208, which is a duplicate, in order to restore the central cobbler
server 202 to its original settings, in the event errors or
catastrophic failure occur on the central cobbler server 202. In
the replication action, metadata and the inventory of provisioning
objects from one of the cobbler servers 204, 206, or 208 can be
transferred to the central cobbler server 202 from one of the
cobbler servers 204, 206, or 208 and applied to the central cobbler
server 202.
[0058] In embodiments, the central cobbler server 202 or any one of
the cobbler servers 204, 206, and 208 can initiate the replication
action. For example, the central cobbler server 202 can initiate
the the replication action in order to replicate the central
cobbler server 202 onto one or more of the cobbler servers 204,
206, and 208. Likewise, in the event of a catastrophic failure of
the central cobbler server 202, the central cobbler server 202 can
initiate the replication action with one of the cobbler servers
204, 206, or 208, which is a complete duplicate, in order to
restore the central cobbler server 202 by transmitting a
replication request to one of the cobbler servers 204, 206, and
208. Additionally, one or more of the cobbler servers 204, 206, and
208 can initiate the replication action by transmitting a
replication request to the central cobbler server 202.
[0059] In embodiments, once the replication action is initiated,
the cobbler server being replicated (the central cobbler server 202
or the cobbler servers 204, 206, and 208) can be configured to
provide the metadata to the cobbler server receiving replication.
The central cobbler server 202 or the cobbler servers 204, 206, and
208 can be configured to provide the metadata over the same
interface, using the same protocols as other software provisioning
procedures as described above. Likewise, if portions of the
inventory of provisioning objects are being replicated, the central
cobbler server 202 or the cobbler servers 204, 206, and 208 can be
configured to provide the portions of the inventory over the same
interface, using the same protocols as other software provisioning
procedures.
[0060] In embodiments, once the metadata has been provided to a
cobbler server, the central cobbler server 202 or the cobbler
servers 204, 206, and 208 can be configured to apply the received
metadata in order to replicate the providing cobbler server. The
central cobbler server 202 or the cobbler servers 204, 206, and 208
can be configured to include the necessary logic, commands, and
protocols to modify its own settings, configurations, and
parameters to match the received metadata. Likewise, if portions of
the inventory of provisioning objects is received, the central
cobbler server 202 or the cobbler servers 204, 206, and 208 can be
configured to include the necessary logic, commands, and protocols
to associate itself with the received inventory of provisioning
objects. Additionally, the central cobbler server 202 or the
cobbler servers 204, 206, and 208 can be configured to include the
necessary logic, commands, and protocols to check for errors once
the received metadata is applied.
[0061] In embodiments, for example, the cobbler server 204 can be a
new cobbler server added to the network 224 to support the target
machines 216. As such, the cobbler server 204 can be configured
with default settings and parameters. In order to integrate the new
cobbler server 204 in the provisioning environment 100, the central
cobbler server 202 or the new cobbler server 204 can initiate a
replication action to replicate the central cobbler server 202 onto
the new cobbler server 204. For instance, the central cobbler
server 202 can select the new cobbler server 204 for replication
and initiate the replication action. Likewise, the new cobbler
server 204 can transmit a request to the central cobbler server 202
to initiate the replication action.
[0062] In this example, once the replication action is initiated,
the central cobbler server 202 can transmit the metadata from the
central cobbler server 202 to the new cobbler server 204. Once
received, the new cobbler server 204 can apply the received
metadata to its setting and parameters in order to replicate the
central cobbler server 202. Additionally, during the replication,
portions of the inventory of provisioning objects can be
transferred to the new cobbler server 204. The particular portions
provided can be selected by the central cobbler server 202 or
requested by the new cobbler server 204.
[0063] In embodiments, for further example, changes can occur in
the settings and parameters of the central cobbler server 202 or
changes can occur in the inventory of the provisioning objects. In
this example, the central cobbler server 202 can be configured to
initiate the replication action, as described above, on one or more
of the cobbler servers 204, 206, and 208 in order to update the
cobbler servers 204, 206, and 208 with the changes.
[0064] In embodiments, for further example, new cobbler servers can
be added to existing networks 220, 222, and 224 or new networks in
order to support increased provisioning processes and to support
load-balancing of the provisioning processes. For instance, the
cobbler server 208 can be a new cobbler server added to the network
220 to support one or more of the target machines 210 and 212. The
new cobbler server 208 can be added to reduce the provisioning
processes supported by the cobbler server 206, to perform a
specific set of provisioning processes, to support additional
target machines added to the network 220, or for any other reason.
As such, the cobbler server 208 can be configured with default
settings and parameters. In order to integrate the new cobbler
server 208 in the provisioning environment 100, the central cobbler
server 202 or the new cobbler server 208 can initiate a replication
action to replicate the central cobbler server 202 onto the new
cobbler server 208. For instance, the central cobbler server 202
can select the new cobbler server 208 for replication and initiate
the replication action. Likewise, the new cobbler server 208 can
transmit a request to the central cobbler server 202 to initiate
the replication action.
[0065] In this example, once the replication action is initiated,
the central cobbler server 202 can transmit the metadata from the
central cobbler server 202 to the new cobbler server 208. Once
received, the new cobbler server 208 can apply the received
metadata to its setting and parameters in order to replicate the
central cobbler server 202. Additionally, during the replication,
portions of the inventory of provisioning objects can be
transferred to the new cobbler server 208. The particular portions
provided can be selected by the central cobbler server 202 or
requested by the new cobbler server 208.
[0066] In embodiments as described above, the central cobbler sever
202 can be configured to transmit the metadata and portions of the
inventory of provisioning objects to other cobbler servers.
Additionally, the other cobbler server can be configured to
retrieve or "pull" the metadata and portions of the inventory of
provisioning object from the central cobbler server 202. Likewise,
when the central cobbler server 202 is replicating other cobbler
servers, the central cobbler server 202 can be configured to
retrieve or "pull" the metadata and portions of the inventory of
provisioning object from the other cobbler servers.
[0067] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary diagram of hardware and
other resources that can be incorporated in a computer system 300
configured to communicate with the networks 220, 222, and 224 to
perform cobbler server replication, according to embodiments. In
embodiments as shown, the computer system 300 can comprise a
processor 302 communicating with memory 304, such as electronic
random access memory, operating under control of or in conjunction
with operating system 308. Operating system 308 can be, for
example, a distribution of the Linux.TM. operating system, the
Unix.TM. operating system, or other open-source or proprietary
operating system or platform. Processor 302 also communicates with
the provisioning database 120, such as a database stored on a local
hard drive. While illustrated as a local database in the computer
system 300, the provisioning database 120 can be separate from the
computer system 300 and the computer system 300 can be configured
to communicate with the remote provisioning database 120.
[0068] Processor 302 further communicates with network interface
306, such as an Ethernet or wireless data connection, which in turn
communicates with one or more networks 220, 224, and 226, such as
the Internet or other public or private networks. Processor 302
also communicates with the memory 304, the network interface 306,
the cobbler server 202, and the provisioning database 120 to
execute control logic and perform the cobbler server replication
described above. Other configurations of the computer system 300,
associated network connections, and other hardware and software
resources are possible.
[0069] As illustrated in FIG. 3 the cobbler server 202 can be
implemented as a software application or program capable of being
executed by a conventional computer platform. Likewise, the cobbler
server 202 can also be implemented as a software module or program
module capable of being incorporated in other software applications
and programs. In either case, the cobbler server 202 can be
implemented in any type of conventional proprietary or open-source
computer language. Additionally, while FIG. 3 illustrates the
computer system 300 supporting the cobbler server 202, one skilled
in the art will realize that computer system 300 or similar system
can support the cobbler server 204, 206, and 208.
[0070] FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of overall replications of
provisioning servers in the provisioning environment 100, according
to embodiments of the present teachings. In 402, the process can
begin. In 404, a cobbler server can initiate an action to replicate
a cobbler server. For example, the central cobbler server 202 or
any one of the cobbler servers 204, 206, and 208 can initiate the
replication action. The central cobbler server 202 can initiate the
the replication action in order to replicate the central cobbler
server 202 onto one or more of the cobbler servers 204, 206, and
208. Likewise, in the event of a catastrophic failure of the
central cobbler server 202, the central cobbler server 202 can
initiate the replication action with one of the cobbler servers
204, 206, or 208, which is a complete duplicate, in order to
restore the central cobbler server 202 by transmitting a
replication request to one of the cobbler servers 204, 206, and
208. Additionally, one or more of the cobbler servers 204, 206, and
208 can initiate the replication action by transmitting a
replication request to the central cobbler server 202.
[0071] In 406, the cobbler server can transfer metadata from one
cobbler server to another cobbler server. For example, the metadata
from the central cobbler server 202 can be transferred from the
central cobbler server 202 to one or more of the cobbler servers
204, 206, and 208. The metadata from the central cobbler server 202
can include the necessary information to configure a cobbler server
to be a duplicate of the central cobbler server 202. Likewise, the
metadata from one of the cobbler servers 204, 206, or 208 can be
transferred to the central cobbler server 202.
[0072] In 408, the cobbler server can optionally transfer portions
of an inventory of provisioning objects from one cobbler server to
another cobbler server. For example, portions or all of the
inventory of provisioning objects can be transferred to the one or
more cobbler servers 204, 206, and 208 from the central cobbler
server 202 or vice versa. The amount of the inventory of
provisioning objects transferred can be determined by the central
cobbler server 202 or requested by one or more of the cobbler
servers 204, 206, and 208.
[0073] In 410, the cobbler server can apply the metadata and
portions of inventory to the cobbler server. For example, the
central cobbler server 202 or the cobbler servers 204, 206, and 208
can be configured to include the necessary logic, commands, and
protocols to modify its own settings, configurations, and
parameters to match the received metadata. Likewise, if portions of
the inventory of provisioning objects is received, the central
cobbler server 202 or the cobbler servers 204, 206, and 208 can be
configured to include the necessary logic, commands, and protocols
to associate itself with the received inventory of provisioning
objects.
[0074] In 412, the cobbler server can check for errors in the
cobbler server. For example, the central cobbler server 202 or the
cobbler servers 204, 206, and 208 can be configured to include the
necessary logic, commands, and protocols to check for errors once
the received metadata is applied. In 414, the process can end, but
the process can return to any point and repeat.
[0075] While the invention has been described with reference to the
exemplary embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will be
able to make various modifications to the described embodiments
without departing from the true spirit and scope. The terms and
descriptions used herein are set forth by way of illustration only
and are not meant as limitations. In particular, although the
method has been described by examples, the steps of the method may
be performed in a different order than illustrated or
simultaneously. Those skilled in the art will recognize that these
and other variations are possible within the spirit and scope as
defined in the following claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *